A Heart's Yearning
by HikazePrincess
Summary: Maka's mother, Kami, finally returns to Death City. But what will she find waiting for her?


It had been years since Kami had even seen Death City. She honestly didn't know why she came back. She had of course missed her daughter Maka, but the more she said it, the less it seemed like the real truth. She knew something had called her back to Death City, but she still had no name for it. It had occurred to her that she had missed Spirit, her ex-husband who had spent much of their marriage cheating on her. But every time the thought came to mind, Kami shrugged it off as impossible. As far she would admit, she didn't miss being married to him.

Seeing him again wasn't as bad as she had expected. He was the same as she remembered, as if he hadn't aged a bit. She had almost forgotten how handsome he was. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, the unnamed feeling returned. She still couldn't name it or describe it, but she vaguely remembered feeling it before. She and Spirit greeted each other as old friends, casual as if they were still nothing more than partners. Kami had always remembered Spirit as passionate and outgoing, so this calm, civil behavior struck her as out of character.

The days passed rather pleasantly as Kami reunited with old classmates. Like Spirit, many of them seemed ageless, as if frozen in time. Even Shinigami-sama was exactly as she remembered, humor and all. But as much as she enjoyed reminiscing with her friends, the unnamed feeling kept coming back. She soon noticed it came back stronger and more frequently than before, but she couldn't identify it. She also realized that feeling seemed to always come when Spirit was around. Any third party would've labeled her confusion as denial, but for the moment Kami remained utterly distressed over the mysterious feeling.

Over a week after she arrived in Death City, Kami sat in her room still pondering "the feeling." She didn't know what else to call it. She was either subconsciously refusing to name it or she honestly didn't know what it was. As confused as she was about the identity of this feeling, one question still kept running through her head: "Why do I feel this way?" Suddenly Kami remembered a garden rather close to the academy. It was her favorite place where she had always gone to clear her head. She had gone there countless times while she and Spirit were getting divorced. Since "the feeling" was somehow connected to him, she felt that now was as good a time as ever to go there.

Like everything else in Death City, the garden was exactly the way Kami remembered it. It was rather simply decorated, bearing a slight resemblance to a topiary maze or the garden of some medieval castle. She walked along the pebbled path to a small fountain in the middle of the garden. Something about the fountain always seemed to bring peace to Kami's troubled mind. Maybe that was why she loved this garden so much. The fountain didn't provide the answers she was seeking, but she still felt its usual feeling of serenity. But before she had a chance to forget about it, "the feeling" came back at the same time she heard footsteps approaching. Hesitantly, Kami turned and found herself face to face with none other than Spirit.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked. It was the only thing she could think to say. Spirit smiled gently, his hands in pockets. "You always used to come here when you were upset." Seeing the surprised look on Kami's face, he continued. "We were married for 14 years, Kami. I still know all your habits. Like how you chew your lip when you're nervous." Kami froze. She had been doing just that. I guess I haven't changed much either, she thought to herself. "Well, you found me," she said, realizing she was avoiding his gaze. She sighed, "I can't say I haven't been thinking about you all these years. You are pretty hard to forget." That last part brought a slight chuckle from Spirit. "It hasn't been easy to forget you either," he replied. "Maka's turned out to be just like you. Sometimes it feels like you never left. And that makes me miss you all the more."

"The feeling" returned, this time bringing with it a terrible ache and a sense of longing. Longing for what? To leave? To stay? To respond? Was it possible that she was longing for Spirit? She tried to shrug it off as impossible, but what other explanation was there? Her thoughts must've been evident on her face because Kami now noticed Spirit looking at her with concern. "Kami, is everything all right?" Kami opened her mouth to answer, but a small sob caught in her throat. "No, not now", she thought. She couldn't cry in front of Spirit. As long as they had known each other, she couldn't remember ever crying in front of him. But she felt one tear escape and knew she couldn't keep the rest back much longer.

Taking a deep breath, Kami spoke, trying to keep her voice steady. "I've missed you, too, Spirit." "Is that why you came back?" he asked while smiling gently, adding to Kami's ache. She still didn't know the real answer, but she had to say something. "I thought it was because I missed Maka." Seeing the confused look on Spirit's face, she quickly continued, "Don't get me wrong. I did miss her. But every time I thought that was why I came back, the less it seemed like the truth." Spirit dared to take a few steps closer. "So you came back because of me?" A few more tears snuck down her cheeks. Kami felt her face getting hot. Was she blushing? Why?

"I don't know why. Every time I thought of you, I kept remembering all those other women and . . ." Kami sighed. She had known saying this wouldn't be easy, but she hadn't imagined it would be this hard. "I tried to make myself believe I was coming back for Maka, but that only made me think of you more." "You didn't want to think of me?" Spirit's question brought Kami's mind to a standstill. Had she been thinking of him because she wanted to? That thought had never occurred to her before. Though her voice remained calm, tears continued to sneak out of Kami's eyes as she continued.

"I don't regret thinking of you. But then . . . what about those other women who . . . I mean, who am I to . . ." "Kami . . ." Spirit placed a hand on her cheek, his thumb wiping her tears away. The ache Kami felt was now a gentle warmth, but the longing was still there. "I never wanted those women the way I wanted you. The way I still want you." Kami suddenly realized she was blushing and her heart was beating furiously. She remembered feeling this way years ago, but what had happened next? The answer came to her as she felt Spirit's lips meet hers, ever so softly. Kami hadn't expected this, but she didn't pull away. In fact, she returned the kiss, which she realized she had been wanting all along. Now she knew the name of the feeling that had plagued her: lovesickness. Kami had never stopped loving Spirit, even though she had been the one to ask for a divorce. Naturally his cheating had angered her, but she realized that she had only been angry because she still wanted him. But this kiss was different than the ones she remembered. Better, maybe? It was like their time apart had enhanced their feelings for each other, making the kiss all the sweeter. Kami's hand then found Spirit's hair and she let her fingers run through it, remembering how good it felt. Slowly but surely, the kiss ended, both of them seeming rather hesitant to let it end. When they finally did separate, Kami stood gazing at Spirit. He had never looked more handsome.

Spirit smiled, "I knew you still loved me." Kami blushed again. "What do we do now?" she wondered. Spirit pulled her into a tender embrace and she blushed even worse. It had been a long time since the last time she was this close to Spirit, or any man. "We'll take things slowly, one day at a time," Spirit said as he gently stroked Kami's hair. "Kami, I promise I'll be a better man to you this time. I don't wanna lose you again." Kami pulled out of his embrace just enough to give him a quick peck on the lips. "Who says I'd let you?" she replied with a sly little grin. She had found the reason she came back to Death City. Now it had become her reason to stay.


End file.
